Carol Shelton Wines

We love her wines, and we love visiting the tasting room for the personalized service. We are returning in December!

The best winery and tasting experience of our trip. The tasting room is tiny which suits this winery's scale. Our host went out of her way to answer our questions and share all her knowledge. Their bottles are so beautiful it's almost worth buying their wine just for those!

We visited Carol Shelton winery on the Sonoma Wine Road weekend and had an excellent experience. Their flight of wines was very nice and smooth and all the servers were very friendly. Of all the wineries, we thought they had some of the best wines at great prices. We'd definitely purchase their wines from here on. Nicely done 👍

This group of folks is the coolest the the valley. The wine is excellent and the value unbeatable. Took my friends from Austin here again and they do not disappoint. So knowledgeable, and done with kindness.

Carol was there and gave us a personal tour and barrel taste of our favorite wine!..She is awesome!

We love Carol Shelton wine! Second visit! Purchased "Wild Thing" love the bottle too.

Carol makes great red wine. Barbera, Carignane, Grenache, Petite Sirah, and especially Zinfandel from various single vineyards. If you can't find one that you like, you don't like wine.

We stopped by the tasting room while heading up North on a three week road trip. We had our 6 month old pup with us and my husband and I planned to take turns going in and tasting. Not only did Debbie welcome the three of us in, she spoiled our little pup by giving him treats she brought from home. We love Carol Shelton wines and value every chance we can stop in to the tasting room. Debbie is great and we always seem to meet wonderful fellow members. Until next time...

Wine is part of cuisine! The Italian Americans convinced Congress that wine, in Italy, was food! Part of the meal as much as olive oil and garlic. Carol Shelton's "Rendezvous Rose" is a perfect companion for any "rendezvous" but particularly at a table. This Rendezvous Rose is perhaps the best complement to any cuisine whether veggies, meat, poultry, gritty di mare, and even Swordfish!

Amazing place. Nice staff. Carol herself was there pouring wines, showing the barrel room, and signing bottles. All the wines were good. I loved doing a vertical tasting because you can really taste the difference between years. I bought two bottles there, including a 2013 magnum! So happy that we stumbled upon this place! Queen of Zin and Cab she is!

1. The wine is quite good and priced affordably. 2. Every time we've visited, the staff have been friendly and helpful. 3. This is not a "Rolling Vineyards and Tuscan Verandas" sort of winery. It's in a light industrial park, which justeans I didn't have a reason to take pictures, which is the least of my concerns when visiting a winery. Overall, a fine place to visit (and a good wine club to belong to).

We stopped in here for a quick wine tasting. Abby was our host and gave us some good information about the different wines. We came home with a rose, Wild Thing and a bottle of Coquille. Easy parking, inviting space and reasonable prices.

Contact the winery before your visit; we did and were prepared for the setting and fee (waived with purchase of a bottle). Our server today was Carolyn, and she is engaging. Her knowledge of this winery goes back 8 years, and she is quite the zin fan. We tasted 8 wines, nicely balanced between 3 whites, 1 rose, 4 reds. The last tasting was a late harvest zin sandwiching a cacao nib - very tasty. While the setting is somewhat confining and located at the very back of the commercial business park, you can spend time viewing the awards, photos, merch, etc. The winery appreciates its customers, and welcomes behaved fur pets. Lastly, you will find affordable wines across several varietals, estates and styles.

The place seems in a bit of disarray but she gets to it.. I went in with Mike, friends, Ahmed and Joyce for the tasting. It's a $20 fee or which is skippable as long as your buying. She tasted us on a good variety of wines. The atmosphere didn't help, it's like a fast paced 7-11 store.

By far the best winery and tasting experience of our trip. The tasting room is small and intimate which suits this winery's scale. Despite the less industrious scale of operations, they had the most to offer in terms of tastings out of the 7 wineries we visited. Our host went out of her way to answer our questions and share all her knowledge. Their bottles are so beautiful it's almost worth buying their wine just for those! Their prices are quite reasonable and their tasting fee is definitely on the lower end, would definitely add this as a stop on your trip!

Her tasting room is adorable and her wines are delicious. There does not seem to be a varietal or blend she cannot perfect. For instance her WildThing Rose made the cover of Wine Spectator magazine. And you can't go wrong with a bottle of Wild Thing Zinfandel, it paid with everything and won't set you back, Safeway actually carries it and can be had for about $15 well spent dollars.

The enthusiasm of the staff is very authentic! Been here 2x for their events with Wine Roads. One for their winter wineland and a recent visit 2017, barrel tasting. As you walk in... You sense the welcome vibe! The first pours are the wines that they are pretty proud of and is very refreshing. She has cute names like Wild Things! The tasting room is fun. Wine barrels stacked high inside a warehouse decorated with white lights and live music too! When they have an event... It's very nice to have the live music. It's like going to a party! Had the opportunity to meet one of their young staff that has been a jack of all trade to her winery. He even has pictures of himself picky the grapes and also dealing with the fermentation process. He was very educational and enthusiastic about her wine. The best part of Carol's wine is the price and taste. All very reasonable... She is amazing. Her wines are amazing! They have won alot of awards, medals, recognition, and you will see this at the entrance of her tasting room. Love visiting this place. Always fun and welcoming. And the wine is really good!

Queen of zin? Well, how about queen of Petite Sirah and a few other things? She personally guided us through a tasting. Some knockouts: her Rendezvous Rose'- the more-than-usual skin contact yields a darker pink color and much more intense aromas. Then there's her Florence Petite Sirah, with a powerful fruity nose and long berry flavors. You've probably already heard about her zins. I'll just agree with all the raves. Go visit. She's an awesome winemaker and a wonderful person!

This place is a gem and you will definitely be pleased with just how delicious and satisfying the wines are...did the 8 days of May, Wine Event...May 24th-31st...did the tail end of Friday-Monday. Nice to be getting out and this was the first stop on the agenda. If you are a wine enthusiast you will enjoy every sip of each and every taste you do. Check it out!

I had a physical reaction to Carol Shelton's wines. Not that this will (and hopefully not) happen to you, but when I tasted her Wild Thing Zen, I turned to my husband and said, "That made my salivary gland ache!" Hours later I was in the local emergency room, a salivary gland the size of a ping pong ball, being prescribed lemon sour candies to rid myself of a stone. Btw, this was NOT the result of her big, bold, spicy slap yo mamma zins! Carol Shelton was our FIRST stop on our wine vacay in the Healdsburg area and the winery by which all others were judged, unfortunately for them. The zins will put hair on your chest and a ping pong ball in your throat (jk). I love my wines like I love my men, big, bold and spicay, and she delivers. You need an appt when visiting, so we called right out of San Fran on our way over, no problem. Our server was Garrett who was super enthusiastic and generous. We tried like 12 wines and met and talked to Carol and her husband(?) extensively about her vineyards and upcoming varietals (and her dachsunds :). All of her wines are phenomenal, but the zins will make your tongue do flips like a Cirque du Soleil areobat. Amazing. Garrett our server was friendly and enthusiastic. As luck would have it, we came here on our first day AND on our last day to buy more wine, they are THAT good. As we walked in unannounced that last day, just to buy not to try, Garrett came out from the production area and offered us a barrell tasting of a rose. I woulda bought it right then, but it wasn't "ready" yet. Carol Shelton is the embodiment of this region of winemaking. Personal, enthusiastic, highly talented, and SPICY!!

Found this hidden gem tasting room just up the street from Epicenter and stopped in for a quick birthday tasting. It's not meant for large crowds but it's great for 2-4 people. Had a great time chatting with Carolyn who was super funny and knowledgeable about the industry and production on the wines they make. She was nice enough to give us some 2 for 1 tasting cards for other wineries in the area. They also sell some cool upcycled wine bottle art made by locals. We took home a Chardonnay.

Love their Zins so much, I joined my first Wine Club! South of typical wine country lies this powerhouse Zin maker in an unassuming office park. While the views are lacking, the wines and people are rocking. Carol, winemaking extraordinaire, can often be found interacting with customers. All employees are friendly and helpful. I had an issue with a wine club billing, and Carolyn fixed it immediately. They have frequent events for wine club members; I wish I lived closer! They are very accommodating and let me pick up an order after they were closed. Thank you! This is an authentic wine lovers experience. No pretentious people or settings. Just damn good wine!

Five Stars no question. If you are in the area, you must visit Carol Shelton. This is a small winery that is sure to offer you a memorable experience. A Sonoma County hidden gem. You can also pickup her wine at the Bottle Barn. Her Wild Thing Zinfandel is by far my favorite. I picked some up for Christmas dinner one year and it was a hit. Carol is not a newcomer, she has a rich history and professional background that you can learn about when visiting. Its amazing how many Awards she has, once you try some of her wine you will understand and not be disappointed.

Wild Thing! (Zin) Coquille Blanc Love this winery!

Tasty wines. Reasonable prices. Industrial park location. Fun staff. Several other wineries in this warehouse location. You could spend several hours tasting at them all.

This is one of our favorite wineries in Sonoma County. Their Zinfandels are to fantastic. Our favorite is Rocky Reserve from the Rockpile appellation in Sonoma County North of Dry Creek. Nice folks too and the wine is fairly priced at around $30 per bottle. Mary and I have been tasting wine in Sonoma County for over 20 years. We live nearby in the Bennett Valley appellation and are quite familiar with the area. Over the years we've come to appreciate the best of the area and Carol Shelton is in our top of the top list. Their tasting room is in a light industrial park in Santa Rosa, so don't go expecting a pastoral winery set among the vines. You'll need to go to another winery to enjoy your picnic. There are plenty of wineries around with a great view and not so great wine (a few have both - for those, see my other reviews). While I can go on and on about Carol's Zins, her other Reds (she does a Cab and Pinot) are quite lovely too. Her whites are also something special. I highly recommend Carol's wines to folks who like deep, rich, full bodied wines.

Great wine, loved the woman pouring. We'll be back!

Started here for the barrel tasting this season of the Sonoma Valleys. It was great. Really friendly and knowledgeable staff. They definitely had their A game for the barrel tasting. This place has converted me into the church of zinfandel and I worship at the alter of Carol Shelton. Enough said. One note. This is all about wine and not about the scene. It resides in a warehouse. So don't go and expect the amazing hillside picturesque views that you think of when you think wine tasting. This seems to be a good place to warm up the pallet for a day of tasting.

Delicious wines. More medals and ribbons in the US then anywhere else we have been. I bought the only white whine available. It is creamy and full bodied. It is a blended white but so delicious.

Great wines at reasonable prices. Definitely worth a stop for the wines! The location --in an industrial park--is certainly not scenic, and the shop is small and a bit crowded -- but the wines are really good and the staff is friendly. Come here to buy wines you can afford and that you will love

I get that many people want a grand estate wine-tasting experience, and you won't get that in Carol Shelton's industrial park tiny tasting room. What you WILL get is freaking delicious wine at an incredible price point (for Sonoma). This is one of the few wineries I've visited where there wasn't a "meh" wine on the list. Everything we tried (and it seemed like we tried it all) was incredible. Apparently Carol is the most awarded winemaker in America! I believe it. My boyfriend had to talk me out of the wine club since we'd already signed up elsewhere. I still might sign up online...shhhh. Oh, and the service was fantastic. I've heard Carol herself is often here pouring, though we had another delightful lady when we visited. Can't wait to go back. P.S. Carol predominantly makes zin with a few other red bottles and I think one white.

If you a re a zin fan, this is THE place to go! Carol is the Zin queen. She has made fabulous wines for others and then started her own winery. The 1st time I visited was during harvest several years ago was by recommendation. The tasting room staff had called in sick and Carol greeted me. I was then asked if I would like to view the grapes that had just been harvested, which were still in the bins gathered from the vineyards. We tasted the grapes and then surprised me with a spontaneous barrel tasting, all the while educating me on the art of wine making. Her wines are elegant, well crafted and not your typical big, hit you over the head zins. I have been hooked ever since..You will not be disappointed.

Lush zin from the most decorated winemaker in the U.S. She'd never tell you she was of course, since she's just really humble, has a longstanding passion for wine and makes a mean zin. After a couple of decades producing wine for other wineries, Carol's finally put her heart and soul into her own production. And although she's produced both cooler climate varietals as well, zin's her true love. It shows... Make sure to try her 2000 Monga Zin from the Jose Lopez Vineyard in Cucamonga Valley!

On a beautiful Saturday in February, I visited a number of wineries in the region - from Sonoma West. Carol Shelton wines, while located in an industrial park was my favorite wine tasting by far - for both the quality of wine, and the pleasant experience. The wines are all made on site - the lovely lady doing the tasting showed me the barrels aging, as well as the tanks where the wine was being made. The Zins are all excellent - and all have a different flavor profile. There was no charge for the tasting - and I tasted a lot of great wines. I highly recommend stopping here - and don't be turned off by the industrial park!!

No reservations required for small party- Check Amazing wine- Check Knowledgeable host- Check Fun atmosphere- Check Reasonably priced wine- Check Overall, a real hidden gem! I walked away with two bottles :D

If you love Zinfandel you must try Carol's. She is best known for her Zinfandel of which she has many, but she has so much more. Coquille Blanc is referred to as a white wine for red wine drinkers. I agree. It has more body and depth. One of my favorite is Rocky Reserve Zinfandel from Rockpile appellation. Yummy! You will not find a chateau but you find excellent wine at reasonable prices. Carol Shelton is widely cited as the most awarded winemaker in the United States and has been honored as Winemaker of the Year numerous times.

Wine was OK. They had a lot of ribbons and medals to showcase but I still felt the wine was mediocre. Debbie had great customer service though! That was the highlight of our visit. The wine tasting cost was very affordable but the quality was not memorable.

I've been wine tasting in Napa plenty of times this year already so I figured we'd try out a different area before the year's end. Santa Rosa has surprisingly a few wineries and many are small and intimate, which is a nice change from the large crowded ones you find in Napa. Carol Shelton wines was one of the first we tried and we were pretty happy with our experience here. Super cool lady representing this little establishment. She was very friendly and nice and very knowledgeable about the wines we tried (8 different wines) even though she was new. She let me peek at the back where the wine is made - huge warehouse behind the door was a massive surprise! I bought.a couple of bottles and she gave me a bag in case we bought more wine throughout the day on our wine tasting adventure!

Love love love the wine here!!! Visited this winery during barrel tasting weekend and they had by far the best wine we tried all day! We were a big group of nine girls and the staff was very friendly and made sure we all were having a wonderful time! The outside isn't much to look at but they have made the inside beautiful! Do not pass this winery by!!

We have been here a few time for different wine road events. Atmosphere is always fun. Wines are good and very affordable. The bottle artwork makes you want to keep the bottle for a flower vase.

Her "Black Magic" Late Harvest Zinfandel alone is worth 4 stars. So juicy, rich, and sweet! Carol Shelton is known for her Zinfandel's. Her tasting room is located in the industry park in Santa Rosa, which is soon becoming the "wine ghetto." Its really just about the wine here. She is starting to venture off from Zinfandel and producing some Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. Again...its all about her dessert wines though.

A hidden jem of a winery in Santa Rosa. When you walk into the winery it's like meeting family. We liked it so much we became wine club members. Looking forward to their release parties.

Went with my family last weekend for some fantastic wine and great hostess! Thank you Carolyn for a great time! Amazing park where four different winery tasting rooms are located. It's a small industrial business park that you may miss if you don't have a good map! Really great small winery tastes and hospitality!

We frequent the Sonoma Valley several times a year. We found Carol Shelton winery a couple years ago & will buy additional cases (can't admit publicly just how many...) throughout the year more from her winery than any other club we belong to. It's just amazing wine at a wonderful price. The friendly service hooked us first & then the wine (ALL OF THE WINE) clinched the deal. I would much rather have a conversation leaning against tanks of wine & hearing how they caress such a wonderful wine out of a little bitty grape than dealing with snobby wine associates while helping to pay for their expensive tasting room. We just love our Carol Wine & employee Caroline is a blast.

Experienced various wineries in Monterey, Carmel, and Sonoma county, and this was easily the favorite. The owners made a point of being seen and interacting. The wine tender made sure we saw the behind the scenes. And the quality was just impressive! Open invite to the owners to reach out next time they are in Chicago!

Ok, very odd place for tasting rooms and no ambiance here but WORTH THE TRIP none the less! Super yummy wines and lots of choices. Everything from the whites to the reds was delicious. This is a great find in the middle of one of Santa Rosa's industrial areas. Put it on your list. Ignore the scenery...go for the wines. No view or picnic area. Just super good wines here. Oh, and friendly tasting room staff serving them up!

Zin, Zin, and more Zin. This lady makes some awesome Zins. She also makes a delicious rose. The first time I went here I actually had a chance to be poured by and talk to Carol Shelton herself. She is very kind. One of my favorite Zins is, of course, the Wild Thing. This is an urban winery in a cluster of other urban wineries.

Free tasting. Good wines, but since i am from the foothills I am accustomed to our zin and prefer it. We left with the pinot noir and the late harvest zin which i think is their star.Very friendly and down to earth staff.

My wife and I have tasted and quite a few wineries in Sonoma and Napa valleys, but we've only joined 2. It may not be much on ambiance, but the winemaker is friendly, knowledgeable, caring, and produces quality. Tasting events are fun family affairs. I like to pull out a bottle of Carol Shelton when friends come over.

Came here for Winter Wineland several times. We did not want to stop here since we had been here many times but we ended up stopping and was glad we did. The live music was great but the wines were even better than we remembered. The atmosphere was fun and they had yummy soup. Thanks for serving food during this weekend. So many of the wineries have stopped to the point that we don't know if it worth it anymore. Can't wait to open my bottles.

What a wonderful wine tasting experience. Unhurried and with great information regarding each wine, the origin of the grapes and the winemaking process. It slso helps that the wines were really good! Highly recommend a visit.

They are in the back of an industrial park and the tasting room is tiny. But they still do FREE tastings, super friendly and helpful. The [red] wine is inexpensive and the really really really good. The tasting room is small but it is completely covered with well deserved ribbons and awards. A must stop if you are in the area to pick up some great red wine, not just hopscotching around tasting room.

Tiny little hole in the wall tasting room in an industrial park...Not the most scenic place for wine tasting but once you realize your there for the wine thn i just gets better and better. Really good zins! We were lucky enough to pop in one day and have the owner poor for us. We joined and look forward to future visits.

I really feel that the experience in the tasting room goes a long way toward how I feel about a winery in general. Carol Shelton Wines provided a warm, welcoming experience and excellent wines to boot. The winemaker herself came out and seemed genuinely excited to talk about her wines (and her dogs) and show us what was going on in the warehouse where they make the wine. She has passion and it shows in the wines she makes.

I was given a bottle of Carol Shelton Old Vine Zinfandel Cuvee Jacqueline 2015, and it was it was rich and delicious. I will be looking for your wines next time I shop.

Had an intimate wine tasting with a great selection of wine. Take the time when you are in Santa Rosa and visit. It's great to meet a successful female wine maker!!! One of the first of her kind. Yummy wild thing wine!!!

Not a beautiful location, but the wine more than makes up for it! The staff is great, knowledgeable and down to earth. Every single wine here is tasty. I've been a member here for a few years, and they have fun events as well. Go and enjoy!